Sarah Ferguson was once given £15,000 from paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein to pay off her debts.

The deal was struck in December 2010 after months of negotiations with the disgraced tycoon who insisted on helping with her financial troubles.

It came within days of the Duke of York flying out to visit Epstein in New York, fuelling speculation he had smoothed the path for his ex-wife to take the money just 18 months after he was released from jail for soliciting prostitution from under-age girls.

The Duchess of York later claimed her judgment had been 'clouded' by her desperation to get out of her £5million debt and vowed to repay the money.

But when asked today whether she had paid back the cash, her spokesman told MailOnline: 'No comment'.

Fergie's relationship with Epstein has been thrown into the spotlight once again amid the furore over claims Prince Andrew had sex with an under-age girl 'procured' by the disgraced tycoon - an allegation the prince 'emphatically denies'.

Sarah Ferguson was given £15,000 by billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein (right) to pay off her debts

Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein pictured strolling through Central Park together during a four-day break in New York at the start of December 2010 within days of the billionaire giving Fergie the £15,000 payment

Prince Andrew was expected to hold crisis talks with the Queen today as he returned to Britain from a holiday in the upmarket Swiss ski resort of Verbier with his ex-wife, their daughter, Princess Eugenie, and friends including Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend, Cressida Bonas.

It is understood he will reassure his mother at the earliest possible opportunity that the claims he faces are false.

The prince – who looked sombre as he left his luxury £22,000-a-week Swiss ski chalet yesterday – is today also expected to meet with his most senior aides and lawyers in his mansion close to Windsor Castle.

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The extraordinary allegation was made by Virginia Roberts as part of a U.S. civil case against shamed billionaire Epstein.

She claims Prince Andrew had sex with her when she was 17 – a minor under U.S. law – and employed as a 'sex slave' by Epstein.

The sexual allegations were robustly denied by Buckingham Palace in an unprecedented four public statements, which describe them as ‘false and without foundation’.

Sources close to the prince admitted he had been 'guilty of a poor choice of friend', with one saying: 'I don't think anyone, not even the duke himself, would defend that friendship.'

There were also questions last night over the extraordinary legal deal that it is thought to have resulted in Prince Andrew – as well as other associates of Epstein – having immunity from any future prosecution.

Solemn: Fellow skiers watch as Prince Andrew leaves his £22k-a-week Swiss chalet yesterday, bound for Britain amid the growing furore over claims he had sex with an under-age girl

Retreat: The royal, above, did not leave the chalet for the last two days of his holiday after the scandal broke

Crisis talks: The royal, above, is expected to speak with his most senior aides and lawyers

THE PALACE'S FOUR DENIALS

FRIDAY: ‘This relates to long-standing and ongoing civil proceedings in the United States, to which the Duke of York is not a party. As such we would not comment on the detail. However, for the avoidance of doubt, any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue.’

SATURDAY AFTERNOON: ‘A very serious allegation, of sex with a minor, was levelled at the duke in a legal document submitted to a US court. The earlier statement categorically rejected that claim; and as was indicated at the time, we do not intend to comment further.’

SATURDAY EVENING: In response to specific claims about Andrew’s alleged conduct: ‘It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.’

SUNDAY EVENING: Miss Roberts' father claimed his daughter had been introduced to the Queen - again denied in a statement by the Palace before reiterating the sexual claims are 'without foundation'.

It has been reported that Prince Andrew met Epstein through Sarah Ferguson and Epstein's companion Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of disgraced newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell.

Epstein went on to enjoy a close relationship with the family - including on one occasion flying to the Bahamas to meet Fergie and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

It later emerged that Fergie had been in negotiations with the disgraced American financier for nine months in 2010 over plans for him to pay off her debts.

The deal was eventually struck in December of that year as her ex-husband holidayed with Epstein for the first time since 2006, sources confirmed at the time.

It was the clearest sign that Andrew had smoothed the path for his ex-wife to take Epstein's money.

The two men were pictured strolling through Central Park together during a four-day break at the start of December, after the Duke of York abandoned plans to stay at the exclusive Carlyle Hotel in favour of Epstein's Manhattan mansion.

Epstein threw a cocktail party in his honour - attended by Woody Allen and CBS News presenter Katie Couric – and then the first installment of £15,000 cash was paid to Johnny O'Sullivan, the duchess's former personal assistant.

O'Sullivan and Epstein fell out so no further money was ever transferred.

At the time, the duke's office repeatedly refused to comment on suggestions that he brokered a deal, but the Duchess of York admitted that Andrew 'and his office' – four staff funded by the Queen – had been 'more than marvellous' and 'sorted out my debts'.

In an interview with
Geordie Greig, then editor of the Evening Standard, in 2011, the duchess later attempted to shoulder the blame on behalf of her ex-husband and claimed
her judgment had been 'clouded' by her desperation to get out of
£5million debts.

'I personally, on behalf of myself,
deeply regret that Jeffrey Epstein became involved in any way with me,'
she said.

'I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know
that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf.

'I am just so contrite I cannot say.
Whenever I can I will repay the money and will have nothing ever to do
with Jeffrey Epstein ever again...

'The
duke is a man who does not know how to tell an untruth or behave
dishonourably. There have been errors of judgment but nothing
substantive has been done wrong by him, ever...

'He
is a first-rate father; he's a first-rate man, the finest that I know. I
will not have his name tarnished by me yet again. Look at all that he
has done for the country. He works tirelessly.'

She equated the gravity of her latest error with her
cataclysmic fall from grace in the preceding May, when she was secretly recorded
taking £27,000 in cash from undercover reporters in return for
guaranteed access to Andrew.

She
said: 'Once again my errors have compounded and rebounded and also
inadvertently impacted on the man I admire most in the world, the duke.

'He has supported me and come to my rescue again and again and there is absolutely nothing that I would not do for him.

'It
is in times of difficulty that character shows itself. I am fiery Irish
redhead and I am to remain strong, fight strong and try to do what is
right.'

Fergie's latest venture has seen her once again attempting to become a commercial success in the US – this time with an extraordinary film plugging a range of products including the bizarrely named 'Fusion Xcelerator' food emulsifier

The duchess was thought to have also been terrified that the wholesome image she was trying to rebuild – together with a series of lucrative deals in the US – could be damaged.

After her divorce from Prince Andrew 19 years ago, the Duchess took on a string of endorsements in the US, including a deal with WeightWatchers.

However, in 2006 the company set up to capitalise on her image in the US collapsed with debts of more than £1 million.

Unperturbed, Fergie has recently filed her trademarks, which could enable her to endorse products including heated hair brushes and a line of farm produce. Friends say she will launch a range of up to 17 speciality teas in the next few weeks.

Her latest venture has seen the Duchess of York once again attempting to become a commercial success in the US – this time with an extraordinary film plugging a range of products including the bizarrely named 'Fusion Xcelerator food emulsifier.

Called Duchess Discoveries, the 28-minute 'infomercial' is scheduled to air on American television early this year.

Saleswoman: Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson in an advert for her Fusion Xcelerator 'food emulsfier'

Described as a 'powerful micro-emulsification system', the seven-piece machine costing $99.99 (£65) also comes with the Duchess's meal plan.

Manufacturers claim the processor breaks down food into a 'micro-cellular pre-digestive state' and 'captures all of the essential vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and phyto-nutrients' to ensure the healthiest smoothies.

It is understood she has been using the juicer for 14 months to aid her weight loss.

However, Sioned Quirke, a leading British dietician and obesity specialist, told The Mail on Sunday: 'Any blender can break down food. This one uses several jargon terms to make it sound superior when it probably isn't.

'Breaking food down to a pre-digestive state is the job of your stomach and it does it well. You don't need anything to help it do its job.

'And no juicer or blender can enhance how much nutrition your body will actually absorb.'

A friend said: 'Sarah would never endorse a product unless it worked for her. She's in a really good place at the moment.

'She keeps saying 'This is me time' and 'This is my time to blossom'. In England she will always be the Duchess of Pork. But in LA or New York she's still a Royal and the Americans love that.'